This is the second post in a series about making the leap from entrepreneur to CEO. Read part one here. The full piece originally appeared on Inc.

In my first post, I talked about how letting go was one of the most difficult things to do as I transitioned from a startup founder with my hands on every piece of the business to CEO of a growing company. Here are two additional lessons I’ve learned:

When to pay yourself and bring on staff. I waited four-and-a-half years to give myself a salary. During that time, I worked long hours from home building the company, doing everything from administrative work, sales, marketing and more. In addition to figuring out when it was appropriate to pay myself, I was hesitant about bringing on staff, knowing no matter how exceptional a candidate was, they would never have the same stake in the business as I did. But hiring new talent was imperative, and the natural next step in the company. To that end, entrepreneurs must learn to set expectations with their first employees and be realistic with what they can offer in the early years of the business.

Don’t ignore the little guys. After launching the company, I started working with smaller parking operators, educating them on the product and explaining how it would make operators money. Once this sector of the market understood the product and saw the benefits, I felt comfortable approaching the mid-sized and larger players. This approach can help build the successful foundation of any venture and gives the necessary “wins” to tackle those higher-level goals.

Stay tuned for the final post in the series, where I reveal two additional insights gained as I’ve grown ParkWhiz.

Lessons Learned Transitioning From Entrepreneur to CEO – Part II was last modified: November 17th, 2015 by Aashish Dalal

This is the first post in a series about making the leap from entrepreneur to CEO. The full piece originally appeared on Inc.

My biggest challenge was letting go.

When I launched ParkWhiz in 2006, I was used to completing tasks on my own and doing things a certain way, from reporting financials to servicing accounts. As the business began to scale and we brought on employees, I quickly realized I had to let go of the notion that everything would be done exactly the way I wanted it, every time. Not only was that inefficient, but it was demoralizing to employees if I couldn’t trust and empower them to find their way.

So I made a vow to let go of the tasks I once owned and began mastering delegation while maintaining the high standards I had set. And, yes, I even slept better at night knowing the burden was no longer fully mine to own and execute.

Transitioning from entrepreneur to CEO is a difficult shift. After all, conceiving a company is in an entrepreneur’s blood, and not all feel comfortable leaving behind the excitement of launching a company of their own to take on a role that involves more red tape and general process. While many technology startup founders can grow bored after their business goes from dream to reality, I stayed on and continued leading as CEO, but if an entrepreneur can’t let go, the business won’t grow.

Aside from letting go, there were four key lessons I learned on the path from entrepreneur to CEO. Stay tuned for two following blog posts discussing this critical insight for aspiring CEOs. In the meantime, what are difficult lessons you’ve learned during your career? Tweet them to me @theaashishdalal or leave a comment below.

Lessons Learned Transitioning From Entrepreneur to CEO was last modified: November 16th, 2015 by Aashish Dalal

Now that the temperature is dropping, it is time to get your heavy fall clothes out of the closet. While in the back of the closet, make sure to grab your skates because it’s time to go ice skating!

If you hate long lines then I would recommend going before mid November, and booking Bryant Park parking in advance. Early November has the best weather for ice skating. Not too cold, but also cold enough for a light jacket and to enjoy a nice cup of hot cocoa after ice skating.

I am a big fan of Winter Village at Bryant Park. The skating rink is perfectly located in Midtown Manhattan with access to a lot of restaurants and parking, just use the ParkWhiz app to find cheap parking. The area also has a natural upbeat rhythm since it is so close to 5th Avenue and Time Square. So you can easily make a day out of it and go shopping, eating, or just exploring before or after your visit to Winter Village.

Starting October 30th, Winter Village will be open from 8am-10pm. General admissions is free if you own your own skates. Don’t worry if you don’t own skates, you can easily rent skates for $15 before November 20th and $19 afterwards. There are several garages in the area that will make parking easy. There are also free lockers for your personal items. Just make sure to bring a lock or you’ll have to pay $9 for one.

‘Tis the Season of the Ice Skates! Get out to Bryant Park! was last modified: November 12th, 2015 by ParkWhiz Staff

Unless you are fortunate enough to work from home, the sad fact is that you will be spending a large portion amount of time commuting to and from your job. Thanks to the help of your smartphone and some fantastic new apps, wasted time on the drive can be kept to a bare minimum.

Here is a sample of the wide variety of apps for commuters that work with Automatic:

License+ keeps track of inexperienced drivers when you’re not around, logging sharp turns, rapid acceleration or deceleration and other risky behavior. This information is available on their web-based dashboard.

Are you tired of schlepping your friends around without compensation? When you are done driving around, UnMooch fairly calculates how much money they should reimburse you.

YourMechanicruns diagnostic checks on your car, letting you know what your vehicle needs before it is serious enough to cause an expensive, inconvenient breakdown.

Waze teams up with Google and members around the world to provide real time updates about road conditions. Millions of users send reports in exchange for points that can be redeemed for adorable avatars to represent achievements. They even send information about fuel prices, so you can save on gas!

Moovit is similar to Waze, using crowdsourced information to keep track of delays and other problems on public transportation. This iOS and Android app offers users public transportation schedules and maps with live reported delays and service alerts. If you use Android Wear, you can even have the information sent directly to your watch!

Riding your bike to work saves money and is great for your health, but the logistics can make it impractical. Bike Maps for iOS gives high resolution maps of major metro areas and rural bike paths and will even provide additional maps upon request. Not only are there pictures of the terrain, but you are able to use this app to find rest stops and other services. Bike Maps does not require the Internet to work, making it a practical choice for areas with poor cellphone reception.

We would be remiss discussing our favorite commuter apps and not mentioning ParkWhiz! Driving in major cities can be stressful and trying to find a spot to park that is safe, legal and available can seem like an exercise in futility.

ParkWhiz eliminates the uncertainty of trying to find a place to leave your car. Reserve your parking place with your smartphone, then show the parking lot attendant the ParkWhiz pass, and you’re good to go. Parking should always be this simple!

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that today’s smartphones aren’t just a camera with social apps and games piggybacking on top of a telephone. Modern phones have serious computing power. You can avoid a lot of the stress and wasted time if you take advantage of these apps for commuters, giving you more time for the things that are important to you!

Our Favorite Apps for Commuters (Besides ParkWhiz!) was last modified: November 11th, 2015 by ParkWhiz Staff

It is finally that time of year, where the Big Apple (NYC) gets to enjoy big time apple cider. Apple cider and hard apple cider are in right now, which is great news for cider fans Now, if you’re like me then you most likely started craving cider in October and bought a pint from your local grocery store. Don’t get me wrong there some great prepackaged offerings out there, but there is nothing like fresh apple cider and that warm smell of apples.

As with most great beverages, not all are created equal, so this is the time to decide the champion. From November 6-15 New York City will host its annual Cider Week. Cider week will include a host of events in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn with some of the best cider makers and local food in the world! Whether you like it hot and apples only, or cold and boozy there is an event for you. Most local restaurants team up with cider creators to enhance the experience for critics. Some of our favorites are the Gramercy Tavern’s event on Friday Nov 13, and the closing event on the 15th at The Drink in Brooklyn. Can you imagine apple pie with warm cider? How you like them apples?

Even if you’re aren’t a fan of pie there are will be other restaurants there with samples to enhance your cider experience so get there early and use the ParkWhiz app to find easy parking before all of the free samples run out! Most makers will also have additional cider available for purchase so make sure to note your favorite and tell us about it!

The Big Apple Does Apple Cider was last modified: November 10th, 2015 by ParkWhiz Staff

It is the time of year to laugh your pants or jacket off. The New York Comedy Festival officially kicks off November 10th.. The six-day festival features some of comedy’s top entertainers such as Trevor Noah, Margaret Cho, Sarah Silverman and more. The venues for the festival include Carnegie Hall and the Gramercy Theater, as well as 20 others. You can save on the New York Comedy Festival by planning your experience in advance, and pre-booking parking.

The festival is perfect for all types of humor, just look at the line up and you’ll find someone that caters to your humor type. If you’re looking for someone that pushes the line and sometimes take the joke to the awkward point then, I would definitely recommend Sarah Silverman. Or, if you’re looking for comedy with a bit of a truth bomb then definitely check out the Daily Show’s host Trevor Noah.

You can find the schedule here. If you’re like me then you most likely found 3-6 shows that you can easily drag your friends to. Now normally I would give you guys tips to narrow down your list to save money but the comedy festival offers fan passes that can be purchased for 5 or 10 shows. You can also save on the Comedy Festival by booking parking in advance. So go ahead and splurge and take out your mom, dad, best friends, date, and roommate. FYI you probably shouldn’t take your parents to any risqué shows.

Save Money on the New York Comedy Fest was last modified: November 9th, 2015 by ParkWhiz Staff

For many people, parking is a day-to-day need that frequently results in more friction than drivers are ready to sign up for. Where do I park? Which parking garage offers to best rate? How do I get in and out quickly? Payments – does this place have a pay booth at the exit or do I need to find the ticket machine before getting into my car? These questions add uncertainty and discomfort to our daily parking needs.

ParkWhiz aims to minimize the friction in the parking transaction. The parking experience seamlessly integrates with people’s lives – whether a user needs to run an errand, book an event ticket, or attend a business meeting. Convenience and productivity are the key goals and a competitive parking rate sweetens the deal on top.

At SAP TechEd Las Vegas, SAP recently announced to availability of the SAP Vehicles Network, a new cloud offering that allows enterprises to offer convenient end-to-end vehicle and mobility-centric services – independent of vehicles and devices. Driver across the country can now access parking, among a set of other diverse services, directly from the car via mobile wallet or through an app.

By partnering with SAP and integrating into the SAP Vehicles Network, ParkWhiz now makes the parking experience seamless for drivers. Key ParkWhiz functionality such as predictive parking selection and workflow integration with third party service providers are now available from the vehicle. What’s more convenient than a parking reservation that is a one-click transaction away? With the car as the mobile platform, few drivers will ever leave it up to chance again where they may end up parking.

“We welcome SAP’s initiative to create the SAP Vehicles Network built on SAP’s HANA Cloud Platform and enabling connectivity and transaction capabilities between end users and service providers such as ParkWhiz,” says Aashish Dalal, ParkWhiz’ CEO and Co-Founder. “We strongly believe our association with the SAP Vehicle Network will contribute to realizing ParkWhiz’ vision of creating a seamless and frictionless delightful customer experience – regardless of device, technology or location.”

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About ParkWhiz

Headquartered in Chicago, ParkWhiz is the e-parking industry leader. The company’s mobile apps and website provide a fast and efficient way for drivers to find and book guaranteed parking spaces before reaching their destination at thousands of parking locations across the country, from New York City to Chicago to San Francisco. ParkWhiz is an official partner of StubHub and TicketsNow. The company also partners with professional and collegiate sports organizations, including the Indianapolis Colts and NCAA teams, Auburn University and entertainment venues across the country. For more information, visit ParkWhiz.com.

ParkWhiz’s Seamless Parking Experience now Extends into the Connected Car was last modified: November 5th, 2015 by ParkWhiz Staff

There are two kinds of scary movies that typically define the genre: Cheesy scary movies where the victim trips on a non-existent rock and dies or well structured horror movies that build on the villain and make your heart race a mile a minute. If you enjoy latter then I would recommend checking out the Scary Movies Festival. The scary movies festival is a well-curated collection of some of the most horrifying films ever made.

The Scary Movies Festival is from October 30th – November 5th at the Film Society Lincoln Center. The Festival features top quality horror films from around the world. This year the festival includes 12 of the best new titles including the highly anticipated The Devils Candy by Sean Byrne.

A film schedule and synopsis of each film can be found on the website, here. There is also information about purchasing general admission tickets $14, 3+ film package, and an all access pass.

So pick your movie, find parking using the ParkWhiz app to find parking at Lincoln Center, get enough popcorn, and make sure you’re comfortable to watch some of the scariest movies from around the world!

Let us know what movie you’re going to see!

Scary Movies Fest NYC was last modified: November 2nd, 2015 by ParkWhiz Staff

It’s 7 a.m. on a weekday and the traffic is completely backed up in route to JFK Airport. The construction atLaGuardiaAirport is set to begin in 2016, which will create an even larger traffic jam at JFK International. The parking situation surrounding NYC airports creates a daily disruption in residents’ lives. So, how can one avoid parking nightmares around NYC airports?

Book Parking Ahead of Time

WithParkwhiz.com, any traveler can easily select available parking nearLa Guardia AirportorJFK Airport. Many different price and location options are provided for the selected destination. A traveler can select the amount of time needed for parking and the corresponding price. With a computer or mobile app – parking can be taken care of before even leaving the house, or even on the way to the airport!

Book Nearby Parking

If you’re cutting it close on time, choose a parking location withParkwhizthat is closest to the airport. Cut down on the shuttle transfer time it takes to get from the parking spot to the airport. When searching for parking onParkwhiz, one can sort the available options by distance from the airport, or scroll in on the map to pinpoint specific locations.

Avoid the Traffic Nightmare

Avoid traffic nightmares as well as parking nightmares by choosing a location a bit further from the airport. Let Parkwhiz help you by choosing a location far from the bustle of airport traffic, and let somebody else drive. Ride the shuttle to the airport and let someone help you with your bags. Don’t worry about finding a friend to drop you off at the airport and only be backed up in the waiting lines in the departures area. Let Parkwhiz help!

Take Advantage of Amenities

Parking shouldn’t be a complete headache. With Parkwhiz, a traveler can narrow their search by selecting specific amenities unique to the parking location. Is having the car covered during the winter months a priority? Select a parking location that is indoor or covered. Does the traveler need handicapped access? Make sure the parking location is equipped with the proper accessibility. Is a valet driver preferred to eliminate walking with luggage or losing precious time? Choose parking with valet options available.

Save Time Without Printing

There’s no need to print out a giant document or show a paper parking pass. With Parkwhiz, one can easily pull up the virtual parking pass via the app on their smartphone.Download the latest editionin iTunes or on Google Play. Choose a location that accepts mobile passes under the Amenities tab. Quickly pull into a parking spot and get going to the next destination without the hassle of paper reservations.

Other Options for Employees

“With more than 37,000 employees and countless visitors, JFK Airport is as much a neighboring community as it is a transit hub,”said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder(D-Howard Beach). With so many employees and only a few airlines offering on-site employee parking, day-to-day parking can be a nightmare. Parkwhiz.com offers another option for these thousands of employees traveling to the airport everyday.

Whether it’s saving time that is top priority or finding a parking location with a roof to protect your precious vehicle, Parkwhiz is the solution to a huge problem. Parking is a nightmare surrounding New York City airports such as JFK International Airport. Traffic to and from the airport is a constant headache as well. With the newest online service and mobile app from Parkwhiz, parking nightmares can be avoided and precious time can be saved. Try Parkwhiz today to find JFK Airport Parking!

JFK Parking Nightmare was last modified: October 30th, 2015 by ParkWhiz Staff

Anyone who has ever rushed to LaGuardia to catch a flight knows about parking lot roulette. Nothing can be more frustrating than missing a flight simply because you can’t find a parking space – especially after fighting all the traffic to get to the airport in the first place!

A Problem Only Getting Worse

With increasing demand at all New York airports, the record number of passengers means the availability of parking space simply can’t do the job. More than 117 million passengers flew through the metro New York airports in 2014, an increase of more than 3 percent over 2013. The projections for 2015 and beyond tell a similar story and there are virtually no additional parking areas available to absorb this increase.

Ironically, this continuing increase in traffic is resulting in calls for spending billions of dollars to upgrade the airports. This is especially the case at LaGuardia, where massive reconstruction plans are expected to be approved and work commence as early 2016. While these efforts may produce some new parking areas, they are years in the future. Also, analysts say the additional spaces won’t begin to accommodate the increased demand for traveler parking needs.

While JFK was constructed with some understanding of modern transportation needs and some significant parking facilities, LaGuardia was shoehorned into a small space in 1939. Originally named the Glenn H. Curtiss Airport, it was a private flying field. No one at the time could possibly have conceived of the incredible amount of air traffic that would eventually fly through this area.

In fact, the three primary airports in metro New York, including LaGuardia, JFK and Newark, make up the largest air hub in the United States, and accommodate the greatest number of flights in the world. Today, the amount of constant traffic makes the entire area around the LaGuardia complex an intimidating and dangerous traffic nightmare.

A Digital Solution for a Digital Age

The reality is that, as is so often the case in the free enterprise system, a seemingly insurmountable challenge produces an innovative and efficient solution. In this case, the solution encompasses not only the LaGuardia fiasco, but parking dilemmas throughout the metro area.

Parkwhiz is more than an app, it’s a lifesaver, a headache remedy and often the absolute hero of the day. Instead of arriving at a destination and playing parking lot roulette while the clock ticks away, Parkwhiz puts the odds back in favor of the driver.

No matter the destination, the Parkwhiz app can provide a guaranteed parking spot when and where one is needed. This amazing timesaver not only lets users plan their trips more efficiently, it takes the guesswork out of whether or not a space will even be available.

The free app is designed to be the definition of simplicity. Any user just tells the app where they are headed. Parkwhiz then instantly assesses all the parking options and indicates which are the closest available spots and the rates they command at the specified time and date.

Once selected, all the uncertainty is eliminated with one click by choosing the spot and getting a guaranteed spot. Incredibly, the user retains the option to cancel the reservation right up to the time it is scheduled, allowing maximum flexibility and convenience.

Parkwhiz is the full package, offering:

Free, quick and easy installation

Intuitive interface that includes maps and detailed directions

Exclusive parking rates only available to mobile users

Ideal locations for parking within walking distance to destinations

A parking pass on the phone that allows quick and easy access to the parking space

Full, one-touch customer service capabilities

Parkwhiz is the answer to parking nightmares and every driver will never do without it, once they give it a go. Try Parkwhiz today to find LaGuardia Airport Parking!

LaGuardia Airport Construction and Its Effect on Parking was last modified: October 28th, 2015 by ParkWhiz Staff